Chapter 18
SIENNA
When Theo explained the water balloon fight, I didn’t think it would be so elaborate. Theo and his brothers have been setting up for it all morning. Beth and I have been watching them, sitting on the back porch steps. We offered to help, but they insisted we save our energy for the fight itself.
I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised they’ve put so much thought into this game over the years. Watching Theo and his brothers the past few days, it’s clear they’ve developed a smooth cadence with each other and their daily routines. One I’m sure they’ve been perfecting since they were kids.
Leo is the one to lead the charge when it comes to meals. Roman always plays the role of his sous chef. Alex and Theo have been given the responsibility of setting the table and cleaning up after a meal. Beth and I have taken it upon ourselves to help them with the latter.
In a strange way, their daily routine is beautiful to watch.
Seeing each of the men take on a role around the house without much communication among themselves speaks to how often they’ve done so over the years.
My instincts tell me Roman is behind it.
While he’s a grump, I’ve come to learn he’s an organized, methodical, rigid grump.
I laugh to myself at the irony as I watch him set up for the water balloon fight.
The hike was only a couple of days ago, but the relaxation and calm I felt while taking in the view haven’t gone away.
The tiny voice in my head screaming “you’re going to be murdered on this trip” has finally faded.
The days are now filled with birds chirping, water splashing, or Theo laughing.
I swear I could record Theo’s laughter and listen to it on repeat.
I’m starting to unravel, and it feels nice to take a small break.
I’d be lying if I said my relaxed state due to the lake house wasn’t a big factor in acing my interview yesterday. As I watch Theo help his brothers, the email offer I received this morning burns a hole in my pocket. I haven’t told Theo about the job yet, and I’m not sure why I’ve been so hesitant.
As the awkward tension between Theo and me has started to fade, I believe our fake relationship has become more convincing to the others.
We’ve been sure to hold hands anytime we’re near one another, and he’s been performing basic chivalrous acts the past few days as well.
Holding the door open for me, pulling out my chair, basic boyfriend tasks that have his brothers not looking twice in our direction out of suspicion.
Behind closed doors, we keep the wall of pillows between us at night and have kept a comfortable emotional distance from one another.
We’ve handled ourselves as the adults we are, and the others seem to be buying our ruse.
Whenever we are lounging by the water, Theo’s arms are usually wrapped around my waist or thrown over my shoulders.
We’ve been spoiled with delicious food, and Theo even fed me a strawberry at one point in the middle of a board game with Alex and Beth.
Convincing the others has been successful, but sometimes when Theo looks at me, I forget that we aren’t in a real relationship.
I’m happy to call Theo a friend, a fact I must remind myself every night as I crawl into bed next to the stack of pillows. Some nights we stay up, talking to get to know each other a bit better, in an effort to make our connection feel more real.
I’ve learned that his favorite color is blue, which wasn’t hard to guess, given his Mustang’s color. His favorite food is a cheeseburger, he definitely believes in aliens, and like me, he isn’t much of a reader and prefers movies instead.
“I’m still struggling to picture it,” Beth says, sitting beside me. “Grown men who look like them, having a water balloon fight.” She turns to me with a smile that I return, still unable to believe it myself.
“Something tells me Roman isn’t too fond of breaking tradition,” I reply.
“It’s impressive, considering his advanced age.”
“Beth, he’s only in his early thirties. I wouldn’t really call that ‘advanced age.’”
“Yeah, and I read the aging process starts at twenty-five, so he already has like, a decade’s worth of aging under his belt. I’d consider that advanced compared to us.”
“You read too much.” I chuckle.
She lets out a gasp, clutching her invisible pearls. “There is no such thing!”
We’re mid-laugh when Theo joins us on the porch steps.
He stands in front of us, resting his right foot on one of the steps.
The shorts he’s wearing ride up slightly from the angle, revealing just how toned his thighs are.
His knee is only inches from my face. It wouldn’t take much for me to reach out and take a bite.
“What’d I miss?” I’m grateful when Theo’s question pulls me from my inappropriate thoughts.
That’s certainly no way to think about your friend, Sienna.
“Nothing,” I respond. “Just discussing how seriously you guys take your water balloon fights.”
Theo glances behind him, looking at the setup he and his brothers just completed.
From the looks of the yard, I’d guess it was one of those training obstacle courses you’d find in boot camp or a mock war zone that they use for paintball fights.
I’m starting to think the storage closet attached to the house is less a storage closet and more a Mary Poppins bag of never-ending supplies.
He turns back to us, rubbing the spot on the back of his neck, perfectly accentuating the vein running through his bicep as he flexes. My tongue darts out to wet my lips instinctively, and I mentally kick myself for it.
“I guess we go a little overboard, but it’s worth it. We’ve added bits here and there every year, making the setup more challenging as we’ve gotten older.”
“How exactly does scoring work?” Beth asks.
“We’ll split into teams. Whichever team gets the most hits, each player on that team gets a point toward their final score.
” Beth and I stay silent, waiting for him to continue.
“We figured you’d both be on a team with Alex and me.
Roman and Leo seem to be pretty confident they can take all four of us. ” He rolls his eyes at the idea.
“I can join their team. I don’t mind,” Beth says with a little more enthusiasm than necessary.
“Are you sure? We figured you’d want to be on the same team as Sienna,” Theo responds.
“Why, because girls always have to team up? We can be feminist and still enjoy a fun competition against each other, Theo. Besides, pelting Alex with a balloon sounds like fun.” Theo laughs at her response.
That’s Beth for you. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, and definitely not attracted to Alex.
As the laughter dies off, Theo looks at me. “Have you heard back about the job yet?”
I glance at Beth, who widens her eyes at me, in a nudge to tell him the truth. “Yeah, actually. They offered me the job,” I say it with more hesitation than I mean to.
Leaning down, Theo moves to hug me. “That’s great, Sienna. I’m so happy for you.” Once he pulls back, he continues, “Are you going to accept?”
That’s the one question I was hoping he wouldn’t ask me. The one question I haven’t been able to answer since I received the email.
“I’m not sure yet. They gave me a few days to decide.”
He nods, his body shifting toward me more as though the next statement is only for my ears. “Well, I had a look at your portfolio. It’s more than impressive to put it lightly. Any company would be lucky to have you.”
“Thank you,” I respond. My hand itches to reach out toward Theo, but he pulls back, the look shifting to something of concern on his face.
“We’re filling up the balloons now. We usually wear swimsuits, and I think the guys mentioned we’ll wear our tie-dyed shirts this year. Feel free to wear whatever you’re most comfortable in,” Theo says, changing the subject.
“We’ll go get ready and be right down,” I say as I stand and pull Beth with me.
Walking into the house, I can’t help but be slightly frustrated by the mixed signals I’m getting from Theo. The hug was warm and congratulatory, but his tone and the shift in his face were enough to tell me he seemed almost disappointed that I’d received a job offer.
Most days, I think he’s fine with our arrangement, and other days, he gives signals that he might want more. When we are together in front of his brothers, he can’t keep his hands off me, but at night, he keeps that wall of pillows built between us.
Then there are small, private moments when he shows affection when no one is around. That first day we arrived, I thought he was going to kiss me, but maybe I misread the signal. He only uses the nickname Angel when it’s just the two of us, but maybe he has a nickname for all his friends.
Theo strikes me as the type of man who would go after what he wants, despite some arbitrary rules I have in place. Yet he hasn’t once broken a rule. That can only leave me to conclude that he has no interest beyond being friends who help each other.
But then why would he seem disappointed I’ve received an offer?
The mixed signals are maddening.
“Bikini, or shorts and a tank? What are you going to wear?” Beth asks, breaking me from my thoughts once we’ve reached her room.
Her question sparks an idea. I’ve been keeping Theo at a safe distance this whole trip. Not knowing if he feels the same attraction I do is plaguing my mind. Today gives me an opportunity to get some responses to my questions.
Not that we’d act on anything, but at least I’d have answers.
“Bikini. Definitely,” I reply.
“Good answer.” I meet her smile with one of my own as I head to Theo’s room to change into the sexiest blue bikini I own.